Zorro  -  Isabel Allende

                   "Z" book  - #2018atozchallenge

Indians, Pirates, Gypsies,  Sword fights!! Oh, my!!!

Well, some of these did happen in this book,  but this is a story about Diego de la Vega as a young man.  We learn how his parents met, when Diego was born and what he was like as a child. We come to know why he was a warrior for the underdog and the helpless and how the persona  of Zorro came about.

We also visit Spain during the time the French were invading the country and where Diego sees more brutal injustices.

All in all, this was an enjoyable, but not adventuress, book. Isabel Allende is a talented author and I was able to travel back in time with her writing.                                   

                                                                     #2018atozchallenge                                                            (one more letter and I will have completed this challenge.  One book  title for each letter of the alphabet)                                                     

Now or Never by Elizabeth Adler

New Author

2018 A to Z Challenge - N

A classic hardened detective story, with the addition of a troubled and beautiful news crime journalist (think a less abrasive Nancy Grace).

Adler did a good job of keeping basically 3 plot lines flowing smoothly:  the hunt for a killer, the budding romance of our lead detective and the secretive past story of our news journalist.  The romance got a little more play than I would have liked, but overall they were nicely balanced.  Jumping from one plot line to another kept the reader turning the pages to see how each story would end and come together with the others.

While I may not seek out all 30+ of her novels, I do have 2 more on my shelf that I will read sooner rather than later.

The Underground River by Martha Conway

Historical Fiction

2018 A to Z Challenge - U

Like a calm river that can quickly turn rough, this book started slow but flowed along a strong current and the last 150 pages...what a ride!

I could relate to the main character, May; who learned of the horrors of slavery as she traveled the Ohio River (the dividing line between the North/South a/k/a Free/Slave states) who had empathy but like many now and then who acknowledge a societal problem but feel it is too large for their actions to make a difference so they do nothing; yet when forced to, would/could/should we act?

The Quickie by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Guilty Pleasure

2018 A to Z Challenge - Q

I got away from reading James Patterson when he became such a prolific writer.  While he still writes a readable thriller, its more due to the formula of short chapters with cliffhangers that propels the reader to keep going versus a tightly wound plot or indepth characters.

This book was no different.  I only picked it up because I needed a "Q" title and I happened to have this.  There were parts I definitely saw coming and a few that I didn't and a few more that just didn't add up in a realistic fashion.  BUT...it was a Quick read and it accomplished my alphabet goal!

I'll be hard pressed to read any more of Patterson when there are so many other suspense thrillers that offer more in the way of character development while still providing heart-pounding thrills.
#2018AtoZChallenge

           Unorthodox -   Deborah Feldman

                      "U" - Author

I really wanted to like this book.  Two of my friends raved about it but unfortunately I did not end up liking it.

Deborah was a member of a sect of the Hasidic Jews in New York.   It was interesting to learn of their traditions and many of their rituals, of how Deborah was controlled by those traditions and the rules women had to follow.

Deborah questioned many of the rules of her faith . Why couldn't she learn English, why couldn't she read books and go to college.?  And why did she have to get married at the age of 17? Just to name a few.

For me, the writing style was immature and whiny at times.  She also left many unanswered questions of my own.  Maybe she should have waited a few more years before telling her story, as interesting as it was.

                                     #2018atozchallenge